<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Bat protocol: Asthma by danvssomethingorother</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28900203">Bat protocol: Asthma</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/danvssomethingorother/pseuds/danvssomethingorother'>danvssomethingorother</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Asthma, Batfamily, Bruce is a good dad, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd are Robin, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, astma attack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:14:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,477</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28900203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/danvssomethingorother/pseuds/danvssomethingorother</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bats are hyper prepared and that means knowing each family member’s health issues.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dick Grayson &amp; Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson &amp; Jason Todd, Jason Todd &amp; Bruce Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>181</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaizaiAlchemist/gifts">TaizaiAlchemist</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Jason – 11<br/>Dick – 13 </p><p>For my pal who wanted some batbro bonding and Dick with asthma.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason Todd often wondered what it meant to have someone who loved you and what it meant to protect that person. He thought he had it with his mom, just the two of them against dad, but she had ditched him the first chance she got. Left him alone with him and after dad was arrested, he had been left alone to figure things out on his own. Figuring things out on his own meant stealing from Batman and well that lead to a new kind of life.</p><p>A stranger life that wasn’t as cut and dry as he would think.</p><p>“Robin,” Batman addressed him and he glanced up from spinning around in the computer chair he wasn’t supposed to be messing with.</p><p>“Hey boss,” Jason said with an attempt at Dick’s smile, that smile that made even Batman smile, but he sighed realizing his just made Batman’s scowl deepen.</p><p>“You are supposed to be cleaning up the target room.”</p><p>Jason hummed and spun around in the chair again, he had been the one who flung over fifty batarangs into the dummies, but he didn’t feel like he should have to clean it up. Batman didn’t take his attempt at being cute like he did with the older Robin and firmly grasped the chair and glared at him harder.  </p><p>To his rescue as always was his fellow Robin, a handstand and backflip from the ceiling and onto Batman’s shoulders. He squeezed his arms around his mentor’s neck and tightened his legs around his broad waist almost managing to contain his bulky mentor before flipping onto the back of the computer chair. He knelt perched over his fellow Robin giving the Bat himself a smug smile.</p><p>“Relax, B, he totally did.”</p><p>Batman swiped at the older Robin and he ducked backwards away from his hand. Another handstand and backflip and he was playfully tugging at his mentor’s cape. Batman gave him a sly smile before sweeping his arm around and catching the giggling Robin, holding him in a gentle hold, keeping him locked to the Bat’s chest with just one of his massive arms. Jason stared in awe as Batman began to tickle the elder Robin before letting him go.</p><p>“He totally didn’t, Agent A did while you two were playing on the trapeze.”</p><p>“Training, B,” he said with an eyeroll, “How do you expect Robin to get around Gotham if he can’t control his grappling hook?”</p><p>“I don’t expect there to be multiple Robins.”</p><p>Jason felt his face fall and Dick gave him a sympathetic look turning back to their mentor.</p><p>“B, you promised! Besides he’s just back up for now, I’ll be there, he will be fine on intel only for now!”</p><p>Batman looked like he had his mind made up before Dick grabbed his cape and gave him his pouting lip for good measure. Batman sighed pulling down his cowl and becoming Bruce Wayne once more, he ran his fingers through his eldest son’s hair.</p><p>“Intel only.”</p><p>Dick sent Jason a smug smile before cartwheeling towards the change room, Jason took one final glance back at Bruce who had a firm look on his face as he sat behind the computer and pulled up his next case. Their eyes met briefly, and he gave him a rare smile and nodded his head towards the back rooms telling him silently to go with his brother. Batman didn’t need Robin tonight; he wouldn’t chance them around the likes of Two Face again.</p><p>;</p><p>Jason ran his fingers over Elanor’s trunk sitting in his brother’s bed watching him double check his homework. He groaned in annoyance, pulling the elephant plush to his chest and rolling onto his side. Dick was being pedantic about his work again; top of the class wasn’t good enough.</p><p>“You promised, Dickie,” he whined loudly not five minutes later shooting up on the bed but being extra careful to set the elephant back on the pillow before storming over to his brother.</p><p>“I know, I know, we are going to cave but I will not allow Gregory Williams to take my place as student of the month because I didn’t do well enough in English again. That greasy bully has been cheating for months and I refuse to allow any of my grades to sink lower then his.”</p><p>Jason frowned and rolled his eyes, people often forgot how petty and competitive Dickie bird could get. They always assumed it was Bruce forcing these things on him, but Bruce could be dead, and he was certain his brother wouldn’t expect anything less then perfection from himself. Jason appreciated he kept his perfection to himself unlike Bruce who had forced tutoring on him for a single B, but it didn’t make it any less annoying.</p><p>“Boys,” Jason felt an evil smile widening seeing Bruce in the doorway glancing at his watch, “I was expecting you downstairs an hour ago.”</p><p>Dick waved his hand behind him not looking up from his laptop, “Not now, B. My rough draft is barely done.”</p><p>Bruce frowned once more glancing at his watch before approaching his eldest and reading over his shoulder.</p><p>“Charlies Dickens and his effect on the Industrial Revolution? Isn’t that a tad advanced for a sixth grader?”</p><p>“It’s Gregory Williams’ fault,” Dick hissed punching hard into his keys, “He chose to do his book report on the themes of the Great Gatsby and how it defined the 1920s and if he shows me up again, he will become top of the class and I refuse to lose to him again.”</p><p>“So, you chose to make a university level research paper?” Bruce sighed a proud smile on his face, “I thought you promised to tone it back? I think people will start connecting---”</p><p>“Yeah, I know,” Dick sighed finally shutting his laptop, “I can’t show off too much or else people will notice how similar Dick Grayson and Robin are, but B, you can’t say you want a cheater like Gregory to out do me!”</p><p>“I don’t know where you get this competitive nature from,” was all Bruce replied with a shake of his head, “being behind one child isn’t the end of the world.”  </p><p>“Does that mean I don’t need to see the tutor?” Jason asked hopefully watching his adoptive father shoo his brother away from his schoolwork so they could begin training.</p><p>Bruce’s stern stare meant it was fine for Gregory Williams to be student of the month, it was not fine for Jason Todd to not be in the top ten ranking of his class.  </p><p>;</p><p>Jason Todd was two years Dick Grayson’s junior and yet it felt like there was a ten-year gap between their skill level. It was to be expected seeing their histories, but it never failed to frustrate Jason.</p><p>Grayson had been born for the spotlight and had been forced into the hard work of perfecting gymnastics before he was out of the womb. Knife throwing, animal riding, learning new languages, and the list went on for things Dick was forced to perfect to keep audiences entertained before he was able to grasp how much pressure that was on him. That was before he had even known the Batman and more expectations were forced on him. Hacking, stealth, mastering martial arts.</p><p>Dick took to it all with stride, he didn’t know what it was like to be normal. Jason knew if he was forced to be a normal kid that’s when he would finally break under the pressure. He didn’t know anything but his performance and in so many ways Robin was his true self. What he had been created to be, the perfect performer not meant for anything else but getting applause from a crowd even if the crowd was just a simple proud smirk from their mentor.</p><p>Jason had been born to survive and that was all he knew how to do. He couldn’t take defeat with grace and a promise of a better performance in the future, he could only hit the ground and jump back up not knowing when retreat was necessary. It was win or die and no in-between.</p><p>If there was one thing that set them apart was Jason was the expected product of a child of abuse, his anger and resilience were a result of it, Dick was an abused kid who hadn’t yet snapped, didn’t even realize he was abused. He didn’t understand the difference between abuse and normality. Normal kids weren’t expected to be more then adults.</p><p>Just cause Jason understood these facts didn’t mean he wasn’t a normal child and wasn’t jealous of his brother’s talents. He hadn’t got a single hit on his brother today in training, no matter how hard he pushed or how much of himself he lost to his anger, not a single hit landed. He found himself pinned under his brother and his smug smile.</p><p>“Pinned ya again, Jay Jay!” he would chirp playfully, and the stoic Bat stood over them with his neutral disappointment at the display. Jason would never be good enough for anything but recon.  </p><p>“That’s enough for today.”</p><p>They both nodded to the Batman and the elder Robin jumped up bobbing along with a spring to his step and a hum on his lips. He was perfection and he knew it and competitive enough to keep getting better. Batman gave his rare smiles to the boy’s confidence and shooed him to the computer to work on their next case with Harley Quinn. He stopped Jason however when he attempted to follow his brother out of the training area.</p><p>“Jason,” the cowl was pulled down and the concerned father made his appearance. Jason pulled his own domino mask off to complete the effect, he wasn’t Robin’s understudy, he was just Jason and Jason was just Bruce’s average traumatized kid.</p><p>“We need to discuss some things before you go out tomorrow evening.”</p><p>Jason just nodded allowing Bruce to lead him to one of the benches and sat down while his concerned father stood over him with that uncertain look on his face. He ran his hand through his hair in that way he did when he knew what he needed to talk about was important but never learned to handle subjects with tact.</p><p>“Listen, tomorrow you aren’t going to be there to assist Batman but Robin.”</p><p>Jason nodded to that, he got it. He would be trailing his brother from the shadows and only pop out if back up for him was needed. That was why he waited until he caught wind of Harley Quinn being up to something, she was less likely to murder a newbie like Jason on first notice. Ever since she broke it off with Joker, she seemed to get some morals and knew when to draw the line when it came to Robins.</p><p>“Yup, I got it, B. Don’t do anything and don’t touch anything and don’t even breath unless Dickie gives the signal and if you say get lost, I’m lost.”</p><p>Jason gave him a sly smile Bruce didn’t return scratching his head and pulling that face Alfred hated. It was somewhere between pouting and rolling his eyes, he was annoyed and didn’t know what to say. Alfred often hit him with his elbows when he pulled the face at dinner parties considering it rude to give anyone a stupid look like that.</p><p>“Do you want me to wait in the car?” he asked nervously, gnawing at his own lip, he didn’t know what B wanted him to say. Dickie would already be swaying him into saying what was on his mind and manipulating him to changing his mind already if he was here but Jason didn’t have that kind of grasp on people. Especially not on people like Bruce.</p><p>“That’s not it, its not about you, but your brother.”</p><p>Jason gnawed harder on his lip and looked down at his feet, he was never the person of choice when it came to Bruce talking about Dick’s wellbeing.  Only Alfred was allowed in on that, he was the only person capable of reeling in Dickie once his mind was made up. The elder Robin was just as stubborn as the Bat himself and he knew how to make the Bat putty in his hands, it always left Alfred as the stern one.  </p><p>Jason’s eyes widened as he felt Bruce open his hand and gently closing his fingers around it. He glanced down at the inhaler there and frowned glancing up at his mentor.</p><p>“Just in case, keep it in your belt at all times. If the time comes, your brother’s life will be in your hands and I believe you are capable enough to handle it.”</p><p>Jason just stared at the new responsibility in his hands and tightened his hold on the device giving his mentor his most determined face.</p><p>“I won’t let him down.”</p><p>Bruce smiled ruffling Jason’s hair and after storing the important device in his belt with his other important utensils, he left with his mentor to rejoin his brother and Alfred at the computer.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>conclusion. sorta.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>what took me so long? who knows.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Jay?”</p><p>Jason grunted as his brother entered his room, it had been a few hours since Bruce had talked to him in the cave and he had yet to fall asleep, he just lay there in the dark watching shadows.  </p><p>His brother didn’t ask, he just climbed in bed with him, under the covers and all. It wasn’t a big deal, Wayne manor had a California king in every room, there was a foot between the boys. Jason turned to face him even in the dark he could make him out, it was strange having someone like Dick Grayson in his life. He was used to being left alone for large chunks of time; he didn’t think he would ever get used to having someone who was always there to lighten up the dark.</p><p>“Are you nervous for tonight?”</p><p>Jason grunted again; he wasn’t one for words in moments like this. He didn’t know how to cope with anxiety rather then let it fester round and round inside him until it finally morphed into anger. Anger was an emotion he understood and helped keep him level, helped him fight. Helped him stay alive.</p><p>“Yeah, I thought you would be.”</p><p>Jason grunted once more; he wasn’t nervous. He didn’t think the churning could be described as nerves; it was the spark of anger building. That’s how it always started. It was more akin to gathering determination, focusing into that fire always burning and knowing even if he came out bloody and bruised he wasn’t going to give up.</p><p>“I was too, not so much as Robin, but my first show. I was five and had been training my entire life for this one purpose and I was so afraid of failure.”</p><p>“Failing isn’t in your blood, bro.”</p><p>It was the truth for Jason. Dick Grayson just didn’t fail; he wasn’t capable of it. He did it right on the first try; always.</p><p>His brother chuckled and rested his hand on Jason’s shoulder.</p><p>“But I did, and I never saw Tati so angry, even mama was mad. I slipped on my jump and didn’t even land right; I crashed into a pole and broke my arm.”</p><p>Jason blinked; he never considered his brother possible of fumbling. Of people being mad at him.</p><p>“I fumble a lot as Robin too and even B is mad. He doesn’t talk to me after I fumble, after I get hurt, he’s just mad and Alfred is always anxious. It’s so weird seeing Alfred scared but even bullet glazes scare him. I know they scare B too and that’s why he’s so mad.”</p><p>Jason’s grunt was more of a scared squeak, that anger wasn’t there like it normally was. He was scared now. He didn’t know how he could handle that failure; it was bringing hesitance to his confident brother’s voice now.</p><p>“I just want you to know, I won’t be mad. I get it bro; people sometimes muck up. You are allowed to drop the ball if you have to, Jay. I know you. I know you can get back up. I think you can handle messes better than anyone I know, and I want you to know I won’t be mad.”</p><p>Jason said nothing watching his brother get up and just leave. No joke, no teasing, just a pep talk with no conclusion. Jason tightened his fists; Jason could be mad for him. He could be mad about the pressure weighing down on his brother even if he wouldn’t.</p><p>;</p><p> </p><p>Jason hated Gotham Academy. Bruce and Alfred often thought he was exaggerating; it had only been six months after all. He would get used to it. Dick had gotten used to prestige schools quickly after all and Jason hated how often Bruce equated them both as the same.</p><p>He hated his teachers, he hated his uniform, he hated his peers and he hated how he was perceived compared to the rest of his class and even his own brother.</p><p>His teeth ground as he sat heavily down on the bench he always sat at to wait for his brother. It was secluded, middle of the courtyard and hidden behind two large pine trees. It was located half up a low hill and had a nice view of the parking lot where Alfred always parked never liking the rush of the pickup zone.</p><p>He opened his bag not wanting to watch the sea of kids run around him. He vaguely touched the novel he had got from the library, nothing fancy, nothing that would make his teachers or Bruce proud of him, a book intended for kids his age. He ran his fingers over the moderately short book, Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. He and his brother had watched the movie several times, it was one of Dick’s favorites. Most movies in his collection had been described as his brother’s favorite from one time to another, but he seemed to fancy movies with circus scenes. Jason knew his weird secret of rewinding back to circus scenes of movies and watching them on repeat when he thought no one was watching.</p><p>He wanted so badly to lose himself into his new novel until his family arrived but some self-sabotaging part of him made him pull out his latest math test. A ‘D’ was written on the top and a warning of contacting Bruce, he felt his stomach flutter.</p><p>“I was just wondering if she would mind me asking, is all!”</p><p>He glanced up seeing Barbara and his brother not far from the bench, the waning crowd walking around them not paying attention to the two friends. Barbara was nearly as red as her hair and Dick was giving her a shit eating grin, snickering at his friend’s discomfort.</p><p>“Artemis is cool, she won’t be mad if you ask to tutor her, I think she would be more then honored you have a crush on her!”</p><p>Barbara somehow became redder but didn’t retort back as they approached Jason. His brother gracefully sat down next to him and gave him a curious look at the paper he was staring at in his bag but didn’t comment.</p><p>“Tonight’s the night,” Barbara commented sitting next to Jason, “Nervous, newbie?”</p><p>“Is your daddy letting you play tonight?” he sneered instead of falling to her bait. She gave him a smug smile and shook her head.  </p><p>Barbara didn’t look amused and Dick snickered as Jason wilted underneath her impressive glare. It really did rival batman, she pulled off the hardened ‘I will make you wish I had killed you’ better then even Bruce at times like this.</p><p>“The commissioner is expected at a charity event and Barbara is sadly expected as well.”</p><p>Barbara confirmed Dick’s words with a nod glancing into the parking lot as Alfred finally arrived.</p><p>“And Bruce wasn’t expected?”</p><p>It was strange when Bruce wasn’t expected to things, in his short time at the manor Jason had always felt the public events to keep image came before everything including injuries. Jason had to fight through a fever during an event and Dick was still suffering from blood loss at another and Bruce himself wore five lairs of foundation just to hide large bruises on his face and did a remarkable job acting like his severe concussion didn’t exist for yet another. It just didn’t feel in character for him to miss anything that would improve his image.</p><p>“Nope,” Dick said in a sing song tone grabbing his brother by the arm and hoisting him off the bench, “The fundraiser is just a fluff piece for the Mayor’s reputation and we as a family have more important things to do tonight.”</p><p>;</p><p>Jason was nervous.</p><p>Scratch that, he was terrified.</p><p>He stood alone on a rooftop; he knew where he was supposed to be but he couldn’t seem to get there. He was frozen. This wasn’t training or messing around in the cave with his brother, this was real. He found himself sitting down on the edge of the building.</p><p>He didn’t know why he was panicking and shutting down out here alone when he was just trailing his brother, he had been out here alone before. He watched a street kid run through the alley with a bag of groceries and disappear into one of the broken apartment buildings. That kid was him the year before and look at him now, living on top of the world.</p><p>His glove binged at him and he sighed opening it. It was Dickie, checking in and already planning on hiding his no show from the big bad bat.</p><p>D: Are you alright? Do you need my back up?</p><p>Translation: I’m worried and love you and will drop everything, even pursuing Harley, to coddle you.</p><p>Jason didn’t want to be coddled. He stared up at the sky and sighed.</p><p>J: Be there in a minute. Got caught up.</p><p>Translation: I’m not a baby and I can do this, let me breathe you giant smother.</p><p>D: B is about to drop in.</p><p>Translation: Hurry up if you want to prove yourself then, idiot.</p><p>Jason snickered shooting off his grapple hook and letting out his best impression of his brother’s patented cackle. He hated him, if he made a quip about him being late, he was going to punch his lights out.  </p><p>(Translation: he loved that idiot more then anyone and he was going to hug him when no one was looking.)</p><p>;</p><p>What a scene he arrived to.</p><p>The plan had been busted and by all things it had been due to one single idiot managing to get one lucky shot. One goon’s lucky ass strike to a caught off guard’s Batman’s head left him unconscious and Harley along with her goons gone by the time Jason finally arrived.  </p><p>Jason had first attempted to haul his father figure away from the scene, but the man was a brick house. Jason was red in the face from getting him a few inches from where he had been. The warehouse Harley had been in was abandoned, no goons, no police, no one.</p><p>He probably should have called Alfred at least to inform him of the trouble he was in and had no experience to handle but he could only think of Dick and his stupid smile. He checked his location; he was on the move. A moving vehicle heading towards the docks by the look of it. He shot outside and ran a block to the abandoned bat mobile. He smiled, he had always wanted to drive it and it wasn’t like he didn’t already know how to drive.</p><p>;</p><p>There were two things very wrong with the situation Jason knew off the bat the moment he arrived. One: there was no security around. The locator led him to a houseboat with Harley’s bright pink convertible parked in front but none of her goons, none of the Joker’s goons, they just seemed to have left. Thinking about it with a clearer head, it was strange no one had been left with Batman either.  </p><p>Two: Dick wasn’t tied up he found peaking through the window. He turned the volume on his comm on and silenced any network that wasn’t his brother’s (B and Alfred were on the move now, not happy with his decision). Dick seemed to have done the same, only allowing him to listen in. Dick would never do that, Jason didn’t understand why he was sitting so casually at Harley Quinn’s kitchen table.</p><p>“My bro is outside,” he was saying casually and bristled as Harley glanced over to him. She waved at him like an old friend and his brother did the same and he ducked down. His face bright red in embarrassment. He wasn’t saving anyone.</p><p>“What about Daddy? He on his way?”</p><p>“Probably,” Dick said with a shrug, “So to get my bro caught up so he will just come in, you just wanted to contact me with your string of robberies?”</p><p>“Yup, guilty as charged needed to have B’s negotiator present if I asked for help and if he didn’t agree, well I just really need a hacker and you are all I need, kid.”  </p><p>Jason rose up glaring through the window and Harley very casually walked over, opening it up. He gave her a darker glare but turned off his comm as he climbed in.</p><p>“Why would we help you?! You are the Joker’s---”</p><p>Dick cut him off with a loud cough making him turn a glare to him and he smiled.</p><p>“Harley is Joker’s ex and they aren’t talking. She wants a hacker because Luthor is holding Ivy for nefarious, evil deeds and she needs someone to help get through his system.”</p><p>“She knocked out Batman!” Jason whined loudly and Harley just shrugged while Dick began to giggle.</p><p>“That was my bad actually,” Dick said scratching the back of his head, face lighting with embarrassment, “Harley already told me about Luthor before B showed up and I was trying to deescalate the situation but—”</p><p>“Bats went in swinging,” Harley chimed in playfully throwing a punch, “It wasn’t my fault I had to defend myself.”</p><p>“I knew he would get up mad, so I suggested we leave,” Dick finished with a sigh shaking his head, “He always listens better when he has time to chill out.”  </p><p>Jason just glared at Harley moving protectively close to his brother while Harley just smiled at him.</p><p>“Geez I always thought Dent was talking through his ass when he went on about bats having a farm of Robins.”</p><p>Jason sneered at her while Dick just shrugged with a light laugh.</p><p>“He was, a farm would be too much, its more like a cloning operation. We just unfroze this one early.”</p><p>“That’s what I like about you birdie,” Harley laughed not buying a word of Dick’s bs, “Ya always had a sense of humor. Unlike yer pops.”</p><p>It was a strange place to be for Jason, one minute he was sitting close to his brother across the table from a woman in a Jester uniform he had spent his entire childhood terrified of. Just shooting the breeze, casually discussing what someone like Luthor would want with her bestie. She was holding a vial and explaining the toxin Ivy had created that could replicate kryptonite. Dick was staring at it with a frown.</p><p>“Why wouldn’t she just go willingly? She has worked with him before…”</p><p>Harley shook her head.</p><p>“I don’t know, if I knew I would tell ya birdie.”</p><p>Jason slammed his fist into the table staring at the glowing green vial between her fingers.</p><p>“How do we know you aren’t lying?!”</p><p>“This one, takes after daddy I take it,” Harley chuckled, “All I can give ya is my word, baby bird, if ya don’t believe me, don’t. Send me ta Arkham and wait to see what happens over in Metropolis.”</p><p>Dick was still examining the vial.</p><p>“Is it ok if we take a sample? It would help to get trust between you and the big guy when he catches up.”</p><p>Harley shrugged at it and was handing over the vial willingly when it happened, and all hell broke loose. Something hit the side of the boat hard sending all three and the vial flying to the side. All three watched with wide eyes as the vial struck hard against the wall and splintered open. Jason dove for it before Harley screamed for him not to. He scratched the bottle but another hard strike against the boat sent the bottle flying once and another hard lurch sent it crashing hard onto the floor.</p><p>A green gas began filling the air, Dick acted faster then Jason ever would have thought to snatching an air mask from his belt and immediately forcing it over Jason’s mouth and nose. Jason stared wide eyed as he breathed in fresh air and his brother breathed in the harsh chemicals making him gasp hard for breath. Harley reacted quicker then he would have ever thought, grabbing him by the hand and gathering his convulsing brother into her arms as she dragged them out of the window Jason had come through.</p><p>He took a quick glance at the deck seeing Batman dragging an angry killer crock away from them as the boat lurched sideways again and they were underwater.</p><p>;</p><p>Jason remembered always being cautious around water as a child and being dragged into its dark depths by a known enemy wasn’t helping. He wasn’t eleven, he wasn’t robin, he was Jason the street rat who couldn’t swim. He thrashed and fought against Harley’s grip but she held him strong despite his panic and drug him out with her.</p><p>She tossed him to the side and ignored him entirely turning to his brother who wasn’t breathing. He watched numbly as she performed CPR and didn’t come to his senses until she yelled for him.</p><p>“Bird brain! I need help here! I think the chemicals triggered an asthma attack! Ya got anything for that in yer belt?!”</p><p>His brother floundered like a dying fish and gasped trying to tell Harley something but words weren’t coming. He was turning blue and Jason couldn’t move. Harley, clearly more equipped for these situations then him, lifted his brother up and let him rest against her shoulder as he gagged. He fumbled against his belt, pointing towards a pocket and Harley was on it.</p><p>She snatched the inhaler and held it to his lips letting him take a few breaths, but even after he was still wheezing. He choked and gasped and Jason was frozen. He just stared. His brother, his entire world might be dying and he didn’t know what to do.</p><p>“Jesus, bird brain,” Harley chastised the boy resting against her chest; continuing to make those horrible sounds. Those dying wheezes.  </p><p>“What da hell were ya thinking going for his safety mask before yers?” she shook her head easily lifting him into her arms princess style and turned to Jason. She sighed before giving him a sympathetic look wiping away tears he didn’t know he was crying.</p><p>“It ain’t yer fault baby bird, shit happens.”</p><p>That was a way of putting it he supposed. They both glanced up seeing Batman rising from the murky water and giving Harley a death glare.</p><p>“Bat mobile, now, all of you,” he barked yanking Dick from Harley and holding him close.</p><p>They all made it to the bat mobile and they all made it to the cave. Harley was locked up and took it pretty well. Alfred took to helping aid Dick in the medical bay and Jason just stayed outside of the car. He sat there, leaning against it and letting the tears come.</p><p>After awhile Bruce finally came back to address him, he was gentle when he grabbed Jason by the arm and began dragging him from the cave.</p><p>“Don’t be too harsh to the newbie, bats,” he heard Harley echo as they passed the cells.</p><p>He shared a sympathetic glance with his brother as he passed the med bay but Bruce didn’t let him stay there with him. Jason had never felt more ashamed in his life, the walk through the cave and up to the manor was the longest walk of his life. Each step physically hurt, Bruce didn’t say a word but he felt his anger. Jason had abandoned post to be a coward and Jason compromised his own brother’s health not knowing what to do.</p><p>“B…” Jason began watching Bruce finally take the cowl down and turn a sad look to Jason. He didn’t say anything just shaking his head.</p><p>“Go wash up, Jay,” was all he needed to say. They both knew Jason wasn’t Robin material, he wasn’t the natural Dick had been.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>